THE SUCCESS OF SAFE STORAGE PROGRAMS, BY THE NUMBERS

Programs promoting safe firearm storage practices work. There is no other way to explain the fact that with over 380 million firearms in the U.S. today, accidents with firearms have dropped to historical lows.

According to NSSF’s latest Industry Intelligence Report, unintentional firearms fatalities are down 60 percent over the last two decades. Among children, that figure drops by 74 percent, while the population of youth 14 years of age and under increased 4.7 percent.

A recent industry survey of gun owners found that safe storage devices are widely used, with over 80 percent reporting use of a gun safe. Nearly all of those surveyed said that firearm safety is “extremely important” to them.

Taking Initiative

The firearms and ammunition industry understands that even with broad adoption of safe storage practices and the voluntary inclusion of a free locking device with new firearms sold since 1998, the need for constant education continues.

That’s why NSSF continues to promote best practices through initiatives such as Project ChildSafe. In addition to the key educational components of Project ChildSafe, through the program more than 37 million gun locks have been distributed – free of charge – to more than 15,000 communities in every state and U.S. territory. It’s no surprise that this program is so indisputably successful that even the Obama Administration’s Justice Department awarded the NSSF a grant to help expand the industry’s efforts.

NSSF and our members are proud to have contributed to declines in firearms accidents and remain committed to further reducing incidents of unauthorized access to firearms.